When work and home demands combine: emergent patterns and implications for employee burnout and work–nonwork balance

Purpose This study explores work and home demands as sources of cross-domain strain. Drawing on a person-centred approach, this study aim to identify the most common co-occurring patterns of work–home demands in a heterogeneous sample of workers. In addition, the authors investigate objective background predictors of experiencing these patterns and assess their implications for subjective well-being outcomes, such as burnout and work–nonwork balance. Design/methodology/approach A total of 1,303 workers from various industries participated in an online survey on the work–home interface. Latent profile analyses were used to analyse the data. Findings Four employee subgroups with distinct patterns (latent profiles) of work and home demands were identified, ranging from symmetrical (high or low demands in both domains) to asymmetrical (high demands in one domain and low demands in the other) patterns. Background factors predicted subgroup membership. Moreover, the experience of unfavourable work–home demand patterns was associated with negative outcomes, such as higher levels of burnout and lower involvement balance. Originality/value Work and home demands may act in synergy, increasing the risk of impaired health and well-being, especially among vulnerable workers. These findings carry both theoretical and practical implications, which are discussed in the paper.